Editor’s note: This story shows updates about the coronavirus outbreak in Washington state from May 8-10, 2020.
Key facts:
- Seattle Parks will be closed nightly at 8 p.m. starting this weekend.
- Gov. Jay Inslee announced retailers can reopen for curbside pickup orders.
- TOTAL: 931 deaths among 16,891 overall cases in Washington state.
- 248,875 people in Washington have taken a test for coronavirus and 6.8% of those tests have been positive, according to the state Department of Health.
SUNDAY, MAY 10
10 new deaths reported in Washington state due to coronavirus
As of 4:30 p.m. Sunday, there are now 931 deaths from the coronavirus in Washington state-- 10 up from yesterday.
There are currently 16,891 confirmed cases in the state, which is 217 more than reported the previous day.
A total of 248,875 people have been tested.
Over 20% of Twin City Foods employees test positive for coronavirus
The Kittitas County Incident Management Team is responding to 34 additional cases of coronavirus associated with Twin City Foods, Inc. On May 8, the IMT quickly implemented mass testing for all employees of Twin City Foods.
The additional positive cases mean that over twenty percent of Twin City Foods employees are positive for COVID-19. Roughly 20 cases are still pending from that mass testing.
This comes two days after the company announced a possible outbreak at the plant. The team collected 158 samples on Friday through a drive-through system, the county said.
Twin City Foods Inc. will be closed for an additional 10 days and will continue to work closely with the Incident Management Team.
WHO denies report of pressure from China to withhold coronavirus info
The World Health Organization has dismissed as “false allegations” a media report that it withheld information about the new coronavirus following pressure from China.
The U.N. agency said in a statement late Saturday that a German magazine’s report about a telephone conversation between WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jan. 21 was “unfounded and untrue.”
Weekly Der Spiegel reported that Xi asked Tedros during the call to hold back information about human-to-human transmission of the virus and delay declaring a pandemic. The magazine quoted Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, BND, which declined to comment Sunday.
Der Spiegel also claimed that the BND concluded up to six weeks of time to fight the outbreak had been lost due to China’s information policy.
The U.N. agency said Tedros and Xi “have never spoken by phone” and added that “such inaccurate reports distract and detract from WHO’s and the world’s efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic.”
via Tegna/Associated Press
Shutdown of casinos deals blow to tribal nations
Some 500 Native American casinos have shut down during the pandemic, often taking away tribes’ main source of income.
While some Native American-owned casinos have reopened or plan to in coming weeks, most are still closed. Besides costing tribes millions of dollars, the closures have forced layoffs and furloughs.
One tribe in Washington state says it can't fund anything without the casino but recently reopened after two months.
In Connecticut, workers at two large casinos are eager to get back to work. But they say it's better to be safe than sorry because “to open and close again would be terrible."
via Associated Press
Sea-Tac Airport will require cloth face coverings for all beginning May 18
The Port of Seattle announced Sunday morning that it will soon require all passengers, visitors, and workers, including Port employees, to wear cloth face coverings in the public areas of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Port Director Steve Metruck said, "Many Port employees and partners and members of the public already wear cloth face coverings. This policy makes clear our commitment to public health, safety, and well-being.”
The requirement will not apply to certain groups, such as very young children.
Fauci, 2 other members of White House coronavirus task force face quarantine
Three members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the task force, has become nationally known for his simple and direct explanations to the public about the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes.
Also quarantining are Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn.
SATURDAY, MAY 9
Amtrak will require passengers to wear masks starting next week
Starting Monday, Amtrak says it will require passengers to wear face coverings or masks on its trains to help limit the spread of coronavirus.
The new policy states that passengers must wear masks in the stations, on their trains and buses. Passengers can take them off only when eating in the designated areas in a private room.
Small children are not required to wear masks, officials said.
To help with social distancing, Amtrak is also limiting bookings to 50% capacity and restricting some seating in rail cars.
Twelve employees at Fred Meyer distribution center in Puyallup test positive for coronavirus
A dozen associates working at a Fred Meyer distribution center in Puyallup have tested positive for coronavirus.
A spokesperson confirmed Saturday 12 associates out of the distribution center’s total 550 associates tested positive for the virus, and all have been self-quarantining due to exposure.
The facility has coordinated recurring deep cleanings and sanitization of commonly touched surfaces around the clock as an added precaution, the spokesperson said.
The below safety measures have been implemented at the Puyallup distribution center and they are continually updated to ensure the safety of the associates and customers, according to the spokesperson.
- Face coverings are provided and mandatory for every associate, every shift
- Implemented social distancing practices throughout the facility
- Placed hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes throughout the facility for quick access
- Mandatory temperature and symptom checks for associates prior to starting their shifts
- Communication with all employees to review, confirm and reinforce safety and social distancing best practices
Sixteen new deaths from coronavirus in Washington as of Saturday
The Washington State Department of Health confirmed 16 new deaths from coronavirus and 286 new cases as of Saturday.
The total number of deaths now sits at 921 among 16,674 total cases statewide. A total of 242,989 people have been tested for the virus and 6.9% of the results have come back positive.
Antigen test for COVID-19 that can produce results in minutes gets emergency FDA approval
The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency authorization for a COVID-19 antigen test. The company claims it can provide results in 15 minutes. But, such tests reportedly have reliability drawbacks.
A large group of people gathered at the State Capitol Saturday in Olympia to rally against Governor Jay Inslee's stay-at-home order.
Organizers want the governor to lift the order and allow businesses to reopen immediately. The rally started at 11 a.m. and was expected to last several hours.
About 2,000 people attended a similar rally at the Capitol last month.
Gov. Inslee has announced a four-phase approach to reopening the state, with at least three weeks in between each phase. Washington is currently in phase 1 of the "Safe Start" plan, which allows low-risk construction to resume, retailers can now offer curbside pickup orders, and some recreation like hunting, fishing, golfing, and hiking has been allowed to resume.
Immunizations in Washington state have decreased dramatically during coronavirus pandemic
Washington state health officials are worried because fewer children are getting immunized during the coronavirus pandemic, raising the potential for outbreaks of other diseases like measles.
On Friday authorities said providers in Washington's Childhood Vaccine Program reported they administered 30% fewer vaccines to 0- to 18-year-olds in March of this year compared with the same month in previous years. In April, there was a 42% decrease, according to preliminary reports.
FRIDAY, MAY 8
Detainees sue; Positive COVID-19 test at Tacoma detention facility
Officials have confirmed the first positive COVID-19 test at the Northwest detention center in Tacoma, in a detainee who had previously tested positive at another detention center and was being medically screened on arrival at the immigration jail.
The development came just as immigrant rights advocates were going to court again in an attempt to free medically vulnerable detainees before any outbreak there.
In a court filing in a separate case Friday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainee tested positive during a medical intake screening and will remain medically segregated for two weeks. The agency said that according to the Pierce County health department, the detainee has recovered and is no longer infectious.
Coronavirus deaths in Washington state top 900
The Washington Department of Health is reporting 14 new deaths from coronavirus as of Friday afternoon. The total number of deaths is now at 905 among 16,338 cases statewide.
A total of 235,835 people have gotten tested for the coronavirus in Washington state and of those, 6.9% of the tests came back positive.
Gov. Inslee says progress being made to reopen Washington state, announces retailers can open with curbside pickup orders
Governor Jay Inslee said Friday that progress is being made in Washington as the state moves through the first phases of reopening the economy, and some counties are being allowed to move on to phase 2.
The governor’s “Safe Start” plan involves four phases of reopening. The state is currently in phase 1, which allows low-risk construction to resume, some outdoor recreation including fishing, hunting, golfing, and park access. The first phase also allows some businesses to reopen, such as car washes, vehicle and boat sales, and drive-in religious services are also allowed to resume.
On Friday, Gov. Inslee said retail stores can also start to reopen under phase 1 for curbside pick-up orders. Specific guidelines for the retail industry is expected to be released Friday afternoon. Landscaping and pet walking is also expected to resume soon under phase 1 in Washington.
Some smaller counties in Washington were approved on Friday to move onto phase 2 of the governor’s “Safe Start” plan.
The Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman approved the applications from Columbia, Garfield, Lincoln, Ferry, and Pend Oreille counties to head onto the next phase.
“We recognize COVID-19 is impacting some parts of our state in different ways and some counties will be ready to move forward earlier than others,” Secretary Wiesman said. “While recognizing that reality, we set cautious, thorough requirements for counties that want to apply for a variance. Each of the counties approved to enter Phase 2 has demonstrated strong planning and capability in the areas necessary to protect public health in their communities.”
To apply for a variance, counties must have a population of less than 75,000 and no new cases of COVID-19 in the last three weeks. Kittitas, Skamania, and Wahkiakum Counties have applied for a variance and their applications are under review, according to officials.
Washington state receives thousands of coronavirus testing materials
Governor Jay Inslee on Friday said the state is making significant progress in getting collection materials to help test for the novel coronavirus, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19.
He said the state has received its first shipment of 37,000 swabs of collection materials for testing from the federal government. The state is expected to get another 60,000 swabs next week.
After that, the governor said the state should get weekly shipments of the testing materials, which he said will be crucial as the state slowly continues reopening and the need for testing becomes greater.
Gov. Inslee also said he is in talks with the Federal Drug Administration to validate at-home testing kits.
Positive coronavirus cases peaked in March, UW says
Positive results at the UW Medicine Virology Lab from outpatient and emergency room testing peaked in late March, according to UW Medicine.
The Virology lab, alongside Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, analyzed positivity rates for specimens received from 10 counties and Seattle-area emergency departments. Partient samples were from March 1 to April 16.
The peak in positive results occurred around March 28-29.
Researchers note the peak and decline appear to align with social distancing.
Car wash businesses can now reopen after state issues safety and health guidelines
Drivers can now get their cars washed professionally starting Friday, after the state issued guidelines for safe operations and social distancing this week.
Car wash operations include:
- Automated, tunnel, self-serve, and brushless washes;
- Automotive detailing services and washes performed on vehicle sales lots;
- Truck and bus washes;
- Vacuum services; and
- Affiliated outdoor retail kiosks.
Safety measures include screening employees for illness, maintaining six feet of distance between employees and customers and requiring employees to wear face coverings. A full list of safety measures are available on the governor's website.
Car washes are among the businesses in the state's phase 1 of its four-phase reopening.
Major Seattle parks to close at 8 p.m.
Seattle's major city parks will be closed nightly at 8 p.m. starting Friday, May 8, and will last the duration of the state's stay-at-home order. Park staff will remind visitors to keep walking and not linger in order to continue social distancing.
The major parks with adjusted hours will include: Alki, Cal Anderson, Carkeek, Discovery, Gas Works, Golden Gardens, Green Lake, Kubota Garden, Magnuson, Seward, Lincoln, Volunteer, Washington Park Arboretum, West Seattle Stadium, Myrtle Edwards, Judkins, and Woodland parks. Many of the parks normally close at 10 p.m.
